The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-12-31
USE OF rHE MIRACLES.

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The special and nmediate use of
the Christian mirae es was to direct
attention to the clai as of the gospel =
not to prove the 5nstness of those
claims, but to hold attention to them.
The gospel was abunaantiy able to vim
dicate itself witholt extraneous aid.
1t simply needed "a audience. The
miracles did not owe that Chr lists
word was trlth; CT did prove that
Christ came with hGsaer than human
authority, Thes w,e the occasion of
demonstrating that he was the divine
Teacher, and so got the attention of
men. What he taught, when once in
the minds of men, could abundantly
maintain its truth by its own inherent
power.
OF the miracles, we repeat they were
simply proof that Christ came from
God. They simply told the Jews
where to look for the truth of God.
They were not themselves the great
truths to be received; they simply di-
rected mems eyes to the teacher, who
alone could aid them in obtaining these
great truths.
1t is the same with all the so-called
external evidences of the Christian re-
ligion-the truth of the New Testa-
noont If NOV doubfIooS no Of ,,o,ob
service to many people to know that
Isaiah made cartain predictions, and
that these predictions were fulfilled;
to know that Matthew aud Luke re-
corded the sayings of Christ, and that
they kept faithful record; to know
that Paul and Peter and James wrote
epistles, and that they were honest men
believing what they wrote to be the
truth.
At the same time we are confident
that the use of these external evidences
has been greatly misapprehended.
They may be, and to many people
doubtless are, Indispensable as indica-
ting the source whence divine truth is
to be obtained. But they can do no
more than this. They may tell you
where the truth of God is, but they
can not do the more important thing
they cannot tell you what divine
truth is. They may tell you in what
place you must look if you would see
the truth of God; but they cannot give
you eyes to see that truth with.
We have the best evidence that there
IS gold in certain regions, and this con-
victiOn has led many people to those re-
giOns in search of that precious metal.
But the knowledge that gold may be
found in the sands of California and
Australia is one thing; the washing of
those sands and the getting of that
gold is quite another thing. 1t is one
thing to know that in the Scriptures
there is mine of truth-of treasures
more precious than gold, yea, than fine
gold; it is very different thing to be-
come miaers of truth, seeking that
treasure, obtaining and using the un-
searchable riches of Christ.
We repeat it, the miracles recorded
in the Bible; the historical testimony
in support of the Bible; in a word all
the external evidences Of Christianity,
can do no more than turn peoples at
tentiOn to the teacher-tO point out to
them on whom they must call if they
would know and use the things of God
To know the things of God is some
thing quite fferent from simply know
ing in what place these things NAV be
looked for. The miracles were proof
to Nicodemus, for instance, that Christ
was a teacher come from God. But
something more than miracles was
needed before Nicodemus. or any one